The Great XPA Debate
13/06/2024
The Misunderstanding of Mead
- June 3, 2024
- 1:10 pm
Mead is the oldest known alcoholic beverage in world history. It pre-dates both beer and wine by not hundreds, but thousands of years, and yet, here in the 21st Century, it has become one of the most, if not THE most, poorly understood alcoholic beverage produced.
Its true roots are still often debated, with Egypt, Africa, Greece, and China all being cited as the creator of mead by different experts. In reality, all of these ancient cultures likely enjoyed mead, even if it was for different reasons.
Mead was once considered an elixir by the Greeks, believed to be the drink of the gods, whereas Celtic mythology believed it to bestow magical powers, and would have drunk it out of cow horns or goblets. Mead is also strongly associated with the Viking period, thanks to the risk of drinking water during this time.
But what actually is mead? Let’s take a quick look at “The Misunderstanding of Mead”….
Myth #1 – Isn’t Mead Very Sweet?
Answer: Can be, might be, but not necessarily.
Myth #2 – Isn’t Mead Usually Very High in Alcohol Content?
Answer: Can be, might be, but not necessarily.
Myth #3 – Mead is a Viking Drink
Answer: Yes, but…
Forget knights and warriors or lingering memories of the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones, abandon thoughts of gritty raucous battles, and get ready for a drink that is UNIQUE, quite surprising, and damn good. Mead is not a beer. Is it a wine? Well, sort of, but not really, it’s fermented honey.
This year Mead has finally secured its own category at the Asia Beer Championship to be held in Singapore in October. The Mead Revival is here and we are fortunate enough to have arguably Asia’s very best mead producer, Cultra Brewery, here in Hanoi, presently producing 3 very different meads:
Cultra Limeade ferments honey together with fresh lime juice to create a citrusy mouth-puckering but balanced fermented lemonade-like beverage. A perfect hot-weather thirst quencher!
Cultra Oaked Acerglyn is a honey and maple syrup wine aged on oak. Made by fermenting local wildflower honey together with Canadian maple syrup for a smooth and buttery finish. Then aged on American oak to bring hints of vanilla and caramel notes.
Cultra Sparkling Session Mead is a lower-ABV strength mead. Using only honey, water and yeast to create a light, crisp and crushable beverage that’s refreshing with delicate carbonation.
Cultra Oaked Acerglyn is a honey and maple syrup wine aged on oak. Made by fermenting local wildflower honey together with Canadian maple syrup for a smooth and buttery finish. Then aged on American oak to bring hints of vanilla and caramel notes.
Cultra Sparkling Session Mead is a lower-ABV strength mead. Using only honey, water and yeast to create a light, crisp and crushable beverage that’s refreshing with delicate carbonation.
With Mead Mondays every Monday at The Bottle Shop you can enjoy a B2G1 FREE promo on their full range.
Will you like it? Could do, might do, but it’s highly likely 
